Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products."

Whaaaa? Wonder if that means ILM too? This is very big news (movie-wise of course )

Can't wait to hear more!

Edit: Ok, I've thought about this. ILM is a division of Lucasfilm, so I'm assuming it must be part of the deal. Also this means that Disney would own the rights to Star Wars and other LucasFilm films/franchises. And then there is Lucasarts as well. So much stuff going around in one deal, I'll really be watching this one.

The last Star Wars movie release was 2005's Revenge of the Sith – and we believe there's substantial pent up demand. In 2015, we're planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 – the first feature film under the "Disney-Lucasfilm" brand. That will be followed by Episodes 8 and 9 – and our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years.

That would be Episode -I. Could be disastrous or great news, one one hand Disney has done Marvel justice, on the other the prequels were good movies but not good Star Wars movies when compared to the trilogy.

So I guess this means no more TCW wars on Cartoon Network then eh or the delicious violence and excellent duel scenes that made me love Star Wars to begin with.

You do realize that Disney made every Marvel movie since 2009 (ie post Iron Man 1), including the Avengers? It's not going to be mickey mouse.

This is good news. Maybe I'm unique in that I really don't think bad sequels ever hurt my appreciation for originals. So really, worst case scenario, they release something I just ignore. Best case, we get good movies again (ie no George Lucas dialogue)

"Everything I tell you is a lie. Every question I ask you is a trick. You will find no truth in me."
―Vergere to Jacen Solo

Not sure how I feel about it... On one side it may be the kind of thing that prevents Lucas from further messing with SW lore. On the other side of it is the whole law suit over "Happy Birthday" type stuff that I would hate. Jedi and Star Wars references are all over our culture.

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson

Good - if it takes the Star Wars franchise out of the hands of Lucas, who for whatever reason has seemingly been trying to destroy them since TPM. I'd love to see where say a trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan would go.

Star Wars Episode VII: A Youngling loses his lightsaber and needs to find it with the help of his floating Jawa friend.

If they make it animated I'm going drink ethanol.

........Even though that Disney made all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (the most recent one was fantastic in my opinion), Iron man 2, Iron Man 3, Thor, Captain America, and the Avengers, I hope that it will not turn out like that.

If they make it animated, I won't drink ethanol; I will simply give up on a major part of my life.

You do realize that Disney made every Marvel movie since 2009 (ie post Iron Man 1), including the Avengers? It's not going to be mickey mouse.

This is good news. Maybe I'm unique in that I really don't think bad sequels ever hurt my appreciation for originals. So really, worst case scenario, they release something I just ignore. Best case, we get good movies again (ie no George Lucas dialogue)

Agreed.

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Originally Posted by mimartin

Good....Even bad Star Wars is better than 90% of the other crap that is released as movies or TV.

........Even though that Disney made all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (the most recent one was fantastic in my opinion), Iron man 2, Iron Man 3, Thor, Captain America, and the Avengers, I hope that it will not turn out like that.

If they make it animated, I won't drink ethanol; I will simply give up on a major part of my life.

Are they gana make it animated !!!!!!!!!!!!! l known that all Stat wars movies are film style not animated l known that there is star wars the clone wars animated series and those series are good but known that Disney buys lucasfilm aaaaaaaaaa but known hmmmmmm now wonder were this gana led to
also l wonder why they did such a thing.

If they can treat the Star Wars universe in the same way they continue to treat the Marvel universe, then we might get what no one really hoped for anymore: an amazing Star Wars movie. People have mentioned The Avengers already, and for me, this movie resembles the original trilogy most in spirit in recent times, so I'm hoping they take some cues from it.

You do realize that Disney made every Marvel movie since 2009 (ie post Iron Man 1), including the Avengers? It's not going to be mickey mouse.

This is good news. Maybe I'm unique in that I really don't think bad sequels ever hurt my appreciation for originals. So really, worst case scenario, they release something I just ignore. Best case, we get good movies again (ie no George Lucas dialogue)

Sorry I haven't watched any Marvel films since the Toby Macquire Spiderman film, so my judgment comes solely from their babyization of acquired anime like Naruto Shippuden, and the horrible, horrid vomit-inducing programs that the Disney channel has been airing since 2004-2005. Until I see more (physical) evidence on the matter to sway me, my opinion remains the same.

I don't think LucasFilms controls game production. I believe it's LucasArts? Regardless, it would be awesome if 'Arts went back to the style of their early 2000s games. Personally, I don't like the most recent Lego Star Wars video games.

What if, and this is a BIG if, this could be the introduction of a new trilogy (7,8, and then 9)?! Three more movies. Another added trilogy. 9 movies, three trilogies. Three trilogies. Three trilogies. "Star Wars: A Trilogy of Trilogies". Trilogyception.

I don't think LucasFilms controls game production. I believe it's LucasArts? Regardless, it would be awesome if 'Arts went back to the style of their early 2000s games. Personally, I don't like the most recent Lego Star Wars video games.

LucasArts is a division LucasFilm, as are ILM and Skywalker Sound, which were all included in the deal if I'm reading this right.

Quote:

What if, and this is a BIG if, this could be the introduction of a new trilogy (7,8, and then 9)?! Three more movies. Another added trilogy. 9 movies, three trilogies. Three trilogies. Three trilogies. "Star Wars: A Trilogy of Trilogies". Trilogyception.

You should re-read the article, or read it if you haven't already

Episode VII is slated for 2015 and the deal says that they want a new Star Wars film every three years.

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Where would they even start? So many books to choose from, I think maybe Disney will come up with their own trilogy for VII-IX.

It matters to those of us who happen to enjoy reading the EU, and the new Disney-LF could quite possibly bastardize all of it. Of course there's no saying that the books by themselves can't be enjoyed, but it's nice to have everything fit together and it's also where a majority of the novel's callbacks and references come from (other EU canon and Prequel/Current Trilogy Canon and TCW canon).